The "Try A New Veggie or Fruit a Week Club"

swimmermama

Hey folks. I grew up in a family that ate out often and didn't eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. I have always been very picky about all foods, including fruits and veggies. Since starting to really focus on eating healthy, and as a result of the influence of my awesome hubby, I have made an attempt to expand what I eat. It has been so much fun to consciously try a new fruit or veggie every week!

So, does anyone want to join me? You can try any new veggie or fruit that you want and then tell us how it went.

Two weeks ago it was spaghetti squash. YUM! Last week it was red cabbage. I am now obsessed! It is so good for some crunch on... anything! I also tried olives, which was not as successful.

This week I am trying beets. My hubby is roasting them tomorrow. I also bought some mango as an impulse buy at the store today. I have already taken a couple of nibbles... oh yes. Very yummy! The funny thing is that I remember trying mango in college and hating it. I think the trick is to go in with a open mind and see it as something fun to do. So, I thought it might be a fun thing to do together. Who is with me?

tammyquinnlmt

I'll try it. I'm going to attempt to cook eggplant..not my first time to eat it, but first time to cook it from fresh. I will buy something new to try next week

swimmermama

Mmmm! I love eggplant. How are you going to prepare it?

SaraTonin

I can't think of anything that I can find at the store.. lol. I've tried all the regular ones! I always wanted to try durian because people say it's so awful. I get the feeling I'd like it.

I could try cactus! That's something odd I always see at the store.

Others I should keep an eye out for: persimmons, star fruit, asian pears, calabaza, sapote. Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for new things!

swimmermama

I can't think of anything that I can find at the store.. lol. I've tried all the regular ones! I always wanted to try durian because people say it's so awful. I get the feeling I'd like it.

I could try cactus! That's something odd I always see at the store.

Others I should keep an eye out for: persimmons, star fruit, asian pears, calabaza, sapote. Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for new things!

First, I love your username! Second, PLEASE try cactus and let us know how it is! I want to try star fruit, too. Awesome list of new fruits!

SaraTonin

My boyfriend has been wanting to try it so I will try to find this message board if we ever do! I got a bunch from here:

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/index.html

swimmermama

My boyfriend has been wanting to try it so I will try to find this message board if we ever do! I got a bunch from here:

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/index.html

What a great website! It has great information about selecting each fruit and veggie and also has recipes! I love tomatillos and the soup recipe they have looks fantastic. Might have to try that soon!

tammyquinnlmt

I have a friend who made stuffed eggplant that sounds wonderful. But I'm thinking of substituting a bread stuffing with brown rice and black beans..maybe some chili's and tomatoes. Any other suggestions?

AngelicaDulas

I've had cactus on the BBQ before. Kinda like asparagus in the texture and a little of the taste. Not bad! And star fruit can be hit or miss. Don't buy them too green. they should have a little bit of browning on the ribs and be a nice yellow color. Persimmons are so good if they're ripe! Hard to describe it, but a very sweet flavor! And Asian Pears are wonderful, crunchy like an apple and subtly sweet and soooo juicy! I LOVE all kinds of fruits and veggies. Ever had fresh figs?!

tammyquinnlmt

My great-grandmother had a fig tree, and a persimmon tree, and a kumquat tree. We would just go pick them and eat them right off the tree!

skinnyhopes

I'm having spinach in my salad tommorow.
I haven't ever had spinach, and I'm excited to try it tommorow

allimax2002

I'd be willing to "try" a new fruit or veggie per week. The last time I went to the store radish(s) were on sale so I got some. I don't eat radish. I don't know what to do with it. But I'm gonna give it a go after a bit of online research. Hopefully, it'll be good! By the way, I think this is a great idea!

maremare312

I love it! Today I picked up kale and spaghetti squash. I have had the squash once before but it's been at least 15 years.

A couple months ago I tried Ugli Fruit and Pommelos, both in the citrus family. I didn't love either of them but will try them again sometimes because they could have just been not great ones (like sometimes you get really good oranges and sometimes they're gross). I ended up juicing parts of both of them and they were fine mixed with grapefruit and oranges!

maremare312

I'd be willing to "try" a new fruit or veggie per week. The last time I went to the store radish(s) were on sale so I got some. I don't eat radish. I don't know what to do with it. But I'm gonna give it a go after a bit of online research. Hopefully, it'll be good! By the way, I think this is a great idea!

I love radishes! I just wash, trim off the tops and bottoms and eat with a little salt. They are good added to salads too.

allimax2002

I tried the radishes! Sliced some thin to try. Pretty yummy, gonna add some to my salad later (I'm on night shift). Whoo-whoooo!!! First attempt--success!

allimax2002

This week I tried edamame. It was frozen and came in a steamable box package. It was actually pretty good! Kinda reminded me of eating boiled peanuts. I'd eat it agin. :-)

maremare312

I love edamame! I buy both the in-shell (for when I'm feeling snack-ish, it takes longer to eat) and the shelled kind (when I just want to scarf them or add to salad) from Trader Joe's.

The kale was pretty good added to veggie soup, I'm used to cooking with spinach which cooks in just a minute but kale has a much longer cooking time or it's scratchy and tough. I have a recipe for kale salad that I want to try that I just picked up the last ingredient I needed (nutritional yeast). I think I have the wrong kind of kale for the recipe though, they were pretty specific on the type of kale needed.

The spaghetti squash was amazing! It doesn't really taste like pasta of course, but it's delicious with sauce and adds a nice bulk/chew to the spaghetti. With a little parmesan cheese it was wonderful. And saving almost 170 calories per cup versus regular spaghetti noodles is totally worth it to me! (210 cals in 2 oz spaghetti=1 cup cooked versus 42 cals in 1 cup spaghetti squash)

allimax2002

I totally want to try kale. Looks pretty yummy!! Last week we tried kiwi, which I've had before but its been a while. It was delish! And its really pretty actually pretty all sliced up.This week I got some arugula, which I'm sure I've had in premade salads before but I've never "made" it myself. Any suggestions as to what try next week?

maremare312

Arugula sounds good! I have to hit the grocery store for a couple things tomorrow so I think I'll see if there's anything new I want to try. My friend gave me some tips on cooking greens, Southern style, so maybe I'll get some more (never made them successfully).

happy_vegan

I love this! We can help each other out on the things we've tried and what worked and didn't..

KALE!
For you newbies to kale (and I just started cooking it last september and now it's one of my favorites!!) this is a great stew. very filling and hearty but super healthy/low cal.
http://www.theppk.com/2010/10/quinoa-white-bean-and-kale-stew/
did you know kale has a ton of calcium? I want to say it rivals milk it's so rich. And lots of other nutrients

STARFRUIT
I picked this up the other week....and it was really tasty and I loved it.. and then I was in the bathroom for forever. I'm not normally allergic to foods but just as a warning to other people.

BITTER MELON
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_melon
I saw this at the asian grocery yesterday....and I almost bought them but then I thought..what would I do with it..?? Well what would I do with it? anyone eaten this one before?

Maybe we should brainstorm things we've been eyeing but unsure of how to eat or foods that for some reason we've just never made in recipes before and then we can each make checklists so we try these interesting guys! I'm really interested in what everyone finds.

some of these I have only seen certain places or I figure a place like whole foods, being ubiquitous, would be a common thread we can share.

Nopalitos (cactus) (available in the south/southwest or latin american groceries)
Bitter melon (gourd)
Coconut (whole)
Belgian endive
Heart of palm (fresh)
Persimmon
Pomegranate (fresh)
Rambutan (available at asian groceries)
Jackfruit (fresh) (available at whole foods)
Passion Fruit (fresh)
Lychee (fresh) (available at asian groceries)
Mangosteen
Kumquat
Loquat
Blood Orange
Durian
Dragonfruit
Kiwano (available at whole foods)
AND YOUR IDEAS!!

There are some great photos of what we're missing here:
http://blog.hotelclub.com/10-must-try-exotic-fruits/

maremare312

I love hearts of palm! Never had them fresh but get them canned sometimes. That white bean and kale dish sounds good, I might try that! Have a little kale left to use up.

allimax2002

Hey yall! This week hubby and I tried Chayote squash. It's kind of like regular summer squash but its bright green and looks like a pear. Which hubby almost mistaked it for--boy that would have been a shock if he bit into it! :-) I diced up the squash and sauted in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and spiced up with some Mrs. Dash, pepper, and any other spice that looked good from the cabinet and a bit of lemon juice. It sort of took a while to cook (longer than I expected, tho I could have diced it smaller). I ended up putting a lid on my pan so it could "steam" a little and get a bit softer. I served it as a side dish, took about 45 in all with the dicing and cooking and what not. We enjoyed it and would totally get it again. And it was pretty cheap, I paid about $.70 a piece for them and one each for me and the hubby was a plenty with the other stuff we had. We are really having fun with this trying of new items thing!

maremare312

That sounds good! I don't think I bought anything new to try this week, nuts!

macasadiam

Ok, I'll do it with you. I love vegies and there are some that i wanted to try, just don't know how, so this will motivate me to do it. let you know more later.

maremare312

Ok, I'll do it with you. I love vegies and there are some that i wanted to try, just don't know how, so this will motivate me to do it. let you know more later.

Awesome!

I forgot if I've shared my love of jicama here. It's so good! Nice and crunchy and a little sweet. I'm also someone who likes to eat raw rutabaga though lol! Either one, peeled, sliced, with a little salt for a great snack!

mogenfire

Great idea! Thanks for all the suggestions!!

loseitwisely

Great idea! I was the "bad kid" that never ate my veggies, and now I LOVE THEM, however I am stuck on the traditional ones. I would love to join in on this new adventure!

RENAEJAE

I love trying new things and there are some fun ideas here. I'm having FIDDLEHEADS for lunch today! They are fresh picked and yummy with a little cidar vinegar on them.

pattycakes726

I love fiddleheads!! I look forward to them all year. So yummy sauted in a little garlic and olive oil.